


this is how it begins

by sekhmettt



Series: fate chose me and you [1]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arranged Marriage, Elia and her kids live, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Not Beta Read, Rare Pairings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:42:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26375167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sekhmettt/pseuds/sekhmettt
Summary: If Ned does not act quickly, Robert may do what the Mountain and Lorch failed to do, and more innocents will die in this pointless war. Yet, he can only think of one option to fix the problem: marriage.
Relationships: (pre-relationship), Elia Martell/Ned Stark
Series: fate chose me and you [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1917352
Comments: 35
Kudos: 194
Collections: Southern Renaissance (Dorne Renaissance)





	this is how it begins

In what world did Gregor Clegane and Amory Lorch live in that they thought the murder of babes and women was allowable? Even in _war_. He’d beheaded the great hulking beast of a Mountain from behind, watching his shadow fall to reveal a terrified Princess Elia, shielding her son from the man.

He made to reach out to her, to assure her, but her terrified gasp of _Rhaenys_ had stalled him, and he turned to go find the younger Princess.

This war had shown him the worst of the world. Yet, Ned did not think he’d ever forget the sound of little Rhaenys Targaryen’s scream as Amory Lorch stabbed her in the stomach, nor the echoing scream of her mother who had followed him, just a few feet behind. It caught the attention of the brute, and he turned just in time to have Ice skewer him through the stomach. Pushing the body away, he nearly stumbled as Elia Martell shoved passed him to go cradle her little girl in her arms, even with one arm still holding the wailing infant Aegon to her breast.

He was not needed here, so he turned to call desperately to a maester.

As it turned out, _fortunately_ , the girl would live, though her night terrors would perhaps never go away. Not all seemed to believe it good fortune, and while Ned could do nothing to Tywin Lannister or his kingslaying son without Robert’s orders, he also would not allow them to run roughshod over the capital.

Yet, Lyanna was out there. And he did not intend to dally in King’s Landing while she lay captured, not when the war was finally over.

So, he left some of his most loyal Northmen here, the lords Willam Dustin and the Greatjon Umber, along with the brunt of his forces. In fact, he took only a small force with him to Dorne. He could not know _where_ in Dorne Rhaegar had taken her, but it was the only place left to hide her.

The morn of his departure, the yard was the usual chaos of men and horses departing. Until an almost eerie silence fell over them all, pulling Ned’s gaze up from tightening his saddle until he caught sight of Princess Elia, walking calmly, poised towards him, with the all elegance of the Queen she’d never be.

“Princess.” He greeted with all the respect she deserved as a Princess of Dorne, if not a Targaryen Princess. Her dark eyes watched him silently for a few long moments and he couldn’t imagine what she was thinking.

“In the Red Mountains. Near the Prince’s Pass. There’s a secluded tower. I cannot know for certain if that is where my husband has taken her, but I know that none of my people would remain silent if she were in their castles, not when her brother is searching for her. She is not in a keep, and I can think of few other places in Dorne where she might be.” He wouldn’t have expected help from her, wouldn’t have expected that she’d be interested in saving her husband’s mistress. As if reading his thoughts, her lips quirked up, just slightly, “Your sister is a girl, barely flowered. My husband is – _was_ a grown man. Whatever happen, most of the fault does not lie with her and she does not deserve to suffer in my deserts, so far from her snows.”

Before he could do so much as thank her, she had turn in a swish of skirts, and returned to the Keep.

Ned doesn’t know how they ever would have found Lyanna, without Elia’s assistance. It was still too late. She was still dying, but gods, the things she shared before she went. Willingly gone with Rhaegar. Married. Pregnant. _Jon Targaryen._ But no, it could never be. He would be Jon Snow, and he would be Ned’s bastard boy, not hers, never Rhaegar’s.

In truth, he wanted nothing more than to return home, skip the return visit to King’s Landing, and never leave the North again. Yet, it seemed as if there was no end to the blows life wanted to rain upon him, for there was a raven awaiting him on arrival. _Dark wings, dark words._ The sweet, if barely known, wife he had met and married in the Riverlands had passed away on the birthing bed, alongside his son.

He felt dead on his feet, as he went to the throne room, to greet his new liege and commiserate with him over Lyanna’s loss. He watched Robert’s vehement swears and curses over dragons and their spawn with a sort of detached indifference. Now that he knew the truth of Lyanna’s ‘kidnapping’ ever word he spoke to assure Robert of her love was bitter in his mouth. Yet, he assured him nonetheless, for he did not want to break his friend’s heart.

“I wish I could kill the bastard all over again.” Something ugly sparkled in his friend’s eyes for a moment, and Ned paid better attention, “Though, there’s still dragons, right here in this blasted keep.”

“A woman. And her barely grown children.” Ned objected, even as Jon Arryn repeated much the same, mentioning also the need for a Martell alliance.

“Bah, the Martells will take the opportunity to raise her get to be King the moment she’s returned to them. The easiest way to secure my throne _would have been_ through a quick and quiet end.” He gave Ned a rather pointed look here, and Ned scowled in return. How could Robert even _consider_ that? “Now I don’t know what to do with the damned lot of them.”

“I’ll marry her. Take her children on as my wards. When they’re of age, we can marry them to loyal houses.” The words are out of his mouth before he can think them through, but he does not regret them. It was an insult to House Tully to marry so quickly, but he could see no other option. He would always mourn his stranger of a wife and his first lost son. Yet, this was a woman who was alive and well, with children who were alive and well, and he feared that they would not remain that way, if he did not step in.

While Robert looked as if he couldn’t decide whether to unleash his Baratheon fury at the suggestion or laugh until he was purple in the face, Jon, pragmatically, asked, “What of heirs, Ned? The maesters say she is barren.”

“I have my younger brother. I have my bastard.” For all that none had seen him since Ned’s arrival from Dorne. A very intentional choice on his part, for he didn’t wish Robert to see a single Targaryen feature on the boy, for all that Ned himself could spot none. “Legitimize him and he can take Winterfell.” He was Stark blood, if not Ned’s own blood. But then, Ned had never been meant for Winterfell anyway.

It seemed as if Robert decided on laughter, for there was mirth in his voice when he commented, “Ned, I know you have a bleeding heart for the woman and her little monsters, but gods above, I’d never saddle you with used goods.”

The Quiet Wolf’s patience snapped, far faster than it normally would, but he was _tired_ and wanted to go _home_ , and wanted _some_ innocent to survive this gods-forsaken war. His lip curled up into a snarl, yet his words were still calm, still _cold_ , “I have asked for nothing, _your Grace_. And I have lost the most from this war. A father, a brother, a son, a wife, a _sister_. And you would deny me this one thing?”

Jon Arryn spoke, but Ned didn’t take his eyes off of Robert, ignored his foster father like he never had before. He could not say how long they stared at each other, but he watched the amusement drain off Robert’s face, something cold and hard and ugly replacing it. However, when Robert spoke, it was first to Jon, “The North will never support a dragonspawn. Not after everything that happened. There’s no place safer in all the Kingdoms to send them.” Yet, Ned could still read in the man’s eyes that he’d have preferred the Lannisters’ treachery to have succeeded, rather than this, could read in his friend’s eyes that this was a betrayal to him, that he couldn’t understand why Ned would ever protect _Rhaegar’s_ wife, _Rhaegar’s_ children, for all that they were just a woman and her innocent children. Robert spoke to Ned now, “I will legitimize your bastard. And you’ll never bring the dragons South again.” An easy ask, for now Ned would never have to step South of the Neck again.

Both ignored the elder Jon’s sputtering objections, and Ned bowed low, “We’ll leave at dawn, your Grace. I’ll marry Princess Elia when we arrive at Winterfell, in front of the heart tree.” Perhaps by the time they arrived, she would see him as more than a captor, more than the usurper’s dog.

Perhaps they could live peacefully, if not happily. 

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t know if I’m going to continue this. I have some ideas (Elia finding out about the betrothal and journeying North, Elia adjusting to the cold with her illness, Elia finding out about Jon’s origins, Oberyn coming to visit, a longer multi-chapter fic with a time jump to the beginning of GoT and all that would change with this world set up.) But I do know that I’ve definitely left some seeds for future things if I did want to. Mainly:  
> 1\. Willam Dustin not going to the ToJ with Ned because he wanted more loyal lords in King’s Landing to protect Elia and the children. Without his death, House Dustin will not have Barbrey at the helm to hate the Starks, and House Ryswell may also give more loyalty to Ned as a consequence.  
> 2\. Elia telling Ned where the ToJ was, and Ned getting their faster, and therefore getting to learn more from Lyanna about her marriage to Rhaegar. He knows Jon is trueborn (as trueborn as he can be under the whole second marriage thing that the faith doesn't like,) plus he does still legitimize him as a Stark, since sharing the truth of him would obviously still be suicide and/or guaranteed murder of Jon and all the others he’s saved.  
> 3\. Cat’s death weakens the ties of the Riverlands to the North considerably, as to be expected. But, with the saving of Elia and her children, Dorne would be more inclined to be loyal to him and his family. And some, if not all, houses of the Crownlands and other Targaryen loyalists. 
> 
> Either way, if you have the money to spare, please buy me a [ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/sekhmettt) in this trying time. God knows I need it. If you do and have a fic request, let me know and I’ll definitely give it my best shot. <3 
> 
> Oh, and finally, here's my [tumblr](https://sekhmettt621.tumblr.com/), if you want that. :)


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